Bond is one of Britain’s longest-running and most culturally identifiable film franchises. So, when ‘No Time to Die’ was postponed from the silver screen myself and other filmgoers were more than disheartened. When a new Bond was eventually released, along with other big names such as Shang-Chi, I felt this was an exciting post-Covid rebirth for the film industry.

‘No Time to Die’ was unfortunately Daniel Craig’s last film which, unlike others I have talked to, didn’t make me too melancholic. I think Craig leaving after this film felt suitable and gave an overall feeling of contentment to the film.

The film included a lot of Bond tropes such as the Bond woman, car chases and weird British civil service bits. I think these are often fun and exciting to watch but I felt they were a little overdone at this point. The film also felt a bit joke-y at times, and, although the jokes were funny, I felt some of that tone was a bit misplaced in a film with a serious topic area.

I did enjoy how the story felt more about Bond’s age and how one might deal with the end of a career for Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This somewhat made up for the very tropey villain arc and other strange story structures.

When watching the film, I felt that I was somewhat underwhelmed by some of the casting and acting choices. I felt that elements of Craig’s performances, although very good, were a bit odd at times – specifically Craig’s monologue scene with Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). I also felt that the casting of Rami Malek as the new Villain Lyutsifer Safin felt a bit off. Although Malek’s performance was superb and hit a lot of emotional beats, I felt as though the performance lacked oomph.

One of many international Bond locations: The idyllic Phang Nga Bay bestowed ample scope for the Francisco Scaramanga’s lair in *The Man with the Golden Gun* (1974)

For the most part, the cinematography of the film, thanks to Linus Sandgren, felt immensely cinematic and lush. The overall Hollywood quality of the film pulled through and I was giddy again to look at expansive European landscapes on the big screen.

In conclusion, this film was a joy to watch. It was a rollercoaster of crazy set-pieces, car chases and the general alpha-ness of Craig’s performance. It’s a beautifully shot film with an emotional ending and it’s packed full of fun for all the family.

Rating: 6.5/10

Image Credit: BBC/Universal Pictures